NEW LIFE #2
HOW CAN I KNOW THAT I HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?
(How can I know for sure that I am saved and going to Heaven?)
Many believers live in continual agony and fear that maybe they are not really saved after all. They live without the peace and joy that the Spirit of God wants to bring into their lives because of lingering doubts and ever-changing feelings.
What does the Bible say about being saved and securely kept in our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Man’s opinions and our changing feelings don’t really matter when it comes to eternal issues and our faith must be firmly grounded in the Word of God!
TAKING JESUS AT HIS WORD: The first person to die with the absolute assurance of eternal hope was a criminal dying on a cross next to the cross where Jesus was also being crucified. The thief apparently knew something about Jesus . . . perhaps he had heard the Savior speak to the multitudes. He knew that Jesus was not worthy of death when he said – “This man has done nothing amiss.” He then turned to Jesus and requested – “Lord, remember me when you come into Your kingdom.”
Jesus’ response was most assuring – “Today, you shall be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-42
That dying criminal could close his eyes at the moment of death and say “I KNOW where I am going . . . I’m headed for the Lord’s Kingdom!” I hope you can say that with confidence as well!
Consider what the Word of God has to say about KNOWING where you will go after this life is over:
John 5:24 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hears My Word and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation (judgment), but is passed from death unto life.”
Salvation and the assurance of salvation has nothing to do with how we live or what we are doing . . . notice two words that stand out in John 5:24 . . . “hears” and “believes.”
Acts 16:31 --"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved . . . "
John 10:27-29 – “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. My Father, Who gave them to Me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of My Father’s hand.”
Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore, now, no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:38-39 – “For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, our Lord.”
1 John 5:11-13 – “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God, that you may KNOW that you have eternal life . . . “
We need to remember that salvation is the work of God . . . not man!
Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Psalm 103:12 – “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us.” Because of Jesus dying on the cross in payment for all of our transgressions, our sins are GONE FOREVER!
1 Peter 1:3-5 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who, according to His abundant mercy, has begotten us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, that fades not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.“
TAKE THE QUIZ!
(Some of the questions have more than one answer.)
#1 Who was the man who called out to Jesus and asked to be remembered when Jesus came into His eternal kingdom?
#2 What did Jesus tell the dying thief?
#4 John 5:24 This verse teaches that we who ___________ will not come into _____________. (2)
#5 According to Acts 16:31, what must we do to be saved?
#6 In John 10:27-29 Jesus said His sheep will _____________. (2)
#7 What does Roman 8:1 promise us? (2)
#8 According to Romans 8:38-39, what can separate believers from God?
#9 According to 1 John 5:11-13, he that has the Son has _________.
#10 Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches us that salvation ___________ (3)
#11 How far are our sins removed from us when we trust Christ as our Savior?
#12 According to 1 Peter 1:3-5, our eternal inheritance is _____________ (3)
#13 1 Peter 1:3-5 teaches us that ______________
WHY DO WE HAVE LINGERING DOUBTS?
1. If we are NOT REALLY SAVED, the Spirit of God cannot give us the assurance we long for – “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.” Romans 8:16 If you are not absolutely sure that you have trusted Christ and invited Him to by your Savior, stop right now and pray. Confess that you are a lost sinner but that you believe Jesus died in your place. Ask Him to come into your life and be your Savior . . . and then give Him thanks!
2. “God’s FREE GIFT of salvation is just too good to be true.” This is Satan’s lie as he tries to confuse us and fill our hearts with doubts and fear. Not only that, he whispers to each of us that we are too wicked to be loved by God and be saved.
3. MISUNDERSTANDING GRACE AND MERCY: Many genuine believers have no concept about the mercy and grace of God. Satan and the world have planted the idea that we have to somehow live a good life and “keep ourselves saved.” Nothing could be further from the truth:
MERCY is not getting what we deserve . . . namely judgment and eternal hell.
GRACE is getting what we do not deserve . . . eternal life and much more!
Faith plus nothing = salvation / Faith plus works = no salvation. “I do not frustrate (make void) the grace of God; for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Galatians 2:21
4. TRUSTING OUR FEELINGS instead of the Word of God. Feelings change every day. Sometimes we feel down in the dumps . . . even a cloudy day can cause this feeling of hopelessness and despair. When we are sick, our feelings really take a dive. DO NOT TRUST YOUR FEELINGS / TRUST THE WORD OF GOD!
5. UNCONFESSED SINS: If we are really born-again because we have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, we can go through seasons of real doubt and even despair because of unconfessed sins. Unconfessed sin disrupts our fellowship with God – “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Psalm 66:18 Important Note: Unconfessed sin breaks our fellowship with God but not our eternal relationship.
6. TEMPTATIONS. All of us wonder why we continue to have such terrible temptations. The fact is, we will be plagued by the lure of sinful temptations until we are in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not the only believer who is constantly bombarded with temptations – “There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, Who will not permit you to be tempted above that you are able, but will, with the temptation, also make the way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13
Note: Temptation is not sin but Satan's attempt to make us choose sin. Someone once observed - "You cannot stop a bird from landing on your head, but you can keep it from making a nest there!"
The way of escape is by a close and continual walk with God as we learn in Galatians 5:16 – “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit is a daily, moment by moment walk in faith and fellowship with God . . . and you cannot walk in the Spirit without having your heart and mind transformed by the Word of God. HEAR God's Word, READ God's Word. STUDY God's Word, MEMORIZE God's Word. MEDITATE on God’s Word each and every day! BELIEVE God's Word!
#14 The Spirit of God ____________ our spirit that we are children of God.
#15 If we are not really ________ the Spirit of God is not in us and "cannot bear witness with our spirit." (2)
#16 What are a couple of the lies of our enemy Satan? (2)
#17 MERCY is __________________.
#18 GRACE is __________________. (2)
#19 Do not trust your ___________ which are always ____________. (2)
#20 _________ _______ disrupts our fellowship with God but not our eternal __________. (2)
#21 If we regard iniquity in our hearts (by refusing to confess it and forsake it), God will ________________.
#22 Temptations are not ________ but Satan's attempt to make us choose to sin.
#23 Temptations are ______________.
#24 We need to HEAR, __________, STUDY, ____________, MEDITATE, and, __________ God's Word in order to walk in the Spirit and overcome temptations. (3)